Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) happens when plaque builds up within the walls of someone’s arteries. It encompasses several different conditions, including:
Coronary heart disease (CHD) (e.g., myocardial infarction, coronary artery stenosis, angina)
Cerebrovascular disease (e.g., ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, and carotid artery stenosis)
Peripheral artery disease (e.g., claudication)
Aortic atherosclerotic disease (e.g., descending thoracic aneurysm)

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ASCVD-associated diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Thus, preventative cardiology involves assessing someone’s ASCVD risk. People at low risk will typically need only lifestyle modifications, while individuals at higher risk may need both lifestyle modifications and pharmacologic therapy. Someone’s 10-year ASCVD risk is categorized in the following ways: low (<5%), borderline (5 to 7.5%), intermediate (7.5 to <20%), and high (>20%) risk.
An ASCVD risk score considers several factors, including someone’s age, sex, blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, diabetes, HDL and total cholesterol, and cigarette smoking. Some calculators may also consider additional factors like LDL cholesterol, statin therapy, or aspirin therapy.

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For individuals at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a 10-year ASCVD risk score can serve as a baseline reference point. Afterwards, patients and providers can re-calculate someone’s risk score at follow-up visits to evaluate the impact of things like lifestyle changes and medication therapy.

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